Hygienic design and equipment acceptance checklist

Specification and purchase

• A hygienic design specification is part of the purchase order, naming the product zone, the cleaning method (wet, dry, CIP), the temperature range and the hygiene standard the equipment must meet: EHEDG guidelines, EN 1672-2 or equivalent (FSSC 22000 additional requirement 2.5.15).
• Food-contact materials are specified: stainless steel of a suitable grade for the product and cleaning chemicals, food-grade elastomers and plastics with a declaration of compliance, no wood, no painted or plated food-contact surfaces.
• The supplier provides drawings showing product-contact surfaces, drainage points, seals and the parts that must be dismantled for cleaning.

Design review

• Product-contact surfaces are smooth, continuous, non-porous and free of pits and crevices, with a surface finish suitable for the product.
• Welds on product-contact surfaces are continuous, ground and polished.
• There are no overlapping joints, bolts, screws or rivets in the product zone where a hygienic alternative exists.
• Internal corners are radiused, horizontal surfaces are sloped to drain, and there are no dead legs, pockets or crevices where product or water can sit.
• Seals and gaskets are of hygienic design, accessible, replaceable and listed on the maintenance schedule.
• Hollow sections (frames, rollers, handles) are either fully sealed or open enough to clean and drain, with no open-ended tubes that hold water and Listeria.
• Drive motors, bearings, control panels and cables are positioned, covered or sealed so that lubricant, condensate and dust cannot reach product, with food-grade lubricants where contact is possible.
• The machine is accessible for cleaning and inspection from all sides, with a gap from floor and walls that allows cleaning under and behind it.

Installation and acceptance

• The installation does not create new harbourage: floor penetrations sealed, no bolts sitting in water, cable trays and services routed to be cleanable and not over open product.
• Utilities connected to the machine (water, steam, compressed air, gases) meet the site's utility standard and are protected against backflow.
• A commissioning cleaning validation has been done before the first production run, with the dismantling procedure written and trained.
• The new equipment is on the cleaning schedule, the preventive maintenance plan, the calibration register and the environmental monitoring programme, and the hazard analysis for the line has been updated (see the HACCP plan review checklist).
• Supplier documents are on file: material certificates, declarations of compliance, operating and cleaning manuals, spare seal list, and the signed acceptance.